a new twist on an old classic

The week before Reese's birthday, I watched a Valentine episode of Martha Stewart and she had a guest on the show making the cutest cookies I have ever seen! LoveBug cookies, which she decorated beautifully. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to make them for Reese's birthday. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a ladybug cookie cutter anywhere, and I didn't have enough time to order one online. Instead, we improvised and used the same recipe to make princess cookies. We used candy-making squeeze bottles to decorate the cookies with royal icing and then embellished them with dragees and sprinkles. I had SO MUCH fun making these cookies!

When Reese woke up from her nap, she really wanted to help me decorate her cookies!

I was excited to try a new twist on a classic sugar cookie with these chocolate cookie cutouts and thought they were absolutely delicious! Here is what you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• Sift flour, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon into a bowl.

• Place butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Turn dough out onto a baking sheet lined with a nonstick baking mat. Form dough into a disk on baking mat and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

• Lift baking mat from baking sheet. Roll out dough between baking mat and plastic wrap to 1/4 inch thick. Remove plastic wrap. Cut out cookies with a cookie cutter of your choice. Transfer baking mat to a baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to freezer, freeze until very firm, about 15 minutes.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove baking sheet from freezer and trim scraps. Re-roll scraps between a nonstick baking mat and plastic wrap and repeat process.

• Bake cookies until crisp, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

For the royal icing, beat together 1/4 cup meringue powder with 1/2 cup water until peaks form. Add 4 cups confectioners' sugar and continue mixing until smooth. If mixture seems too thick, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix until desired consistency is reached. If mixture seems too thin, add confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

Enjoy!